• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Vegan Larder
  • Recipes
  • Cook Books
  • About
  • Work
  • Nav Social Menu

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Cook Books
  • About
  • Work
  • Connect with me...

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Cook Books
    • About
    • Work
  • Connect with me...

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Recipes

    What's in my Kitchen Cupboard: Essentials

    Published: May 30, 2016 · Modified: May 30, 2022 by Louise-Claire Cayzer · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads · 1 Comment

    If you're new to cooking, or even new to veggie centric cooking, it can all seem a bit daunting. There are loads of fancy sounding ingredients and bazzillions of  weird and wonderful new things to try and get a hold of and sometimes it can feel a bit like - well why bother? Why not just reheat another ready meal. 

    But where's the fun in that?! 

    I promise you, once you have a few cupboard essentials, and, importantly, know where to get them from, the new world of cookery will suddenly seem a doddle and far more fun.  But what to prioritise? And why? And why should you trust me and not some other bossy boot blogger/cook/writer says? 

    Well- I don't know why you should either, but for the purpose of this, let's just assume you trust my taste buds & cooking and start from there.  

    There are a few rules with this type of cooking. Firstly and foremost.. don't get scared about new ingredients.  A sense of adventure is needed, also, learn to love 'ethnic' food stores.. Whether they're your local Asian supermarket, the corner store owned by a Bangladeshi family or a Turkish supermarket come bakery come greengrocer, you'll find a wealth of ingredients that are cheap, tasty and will round out your veggie cooking. If you live outside a large city (like me!) start to get eagle eyed when you do visit a bigger town & do that annoying thing I do, quickly 'dart in' to any interesting foodie supermarket you find and ransack the place for yummy comestibles and odd hard to get ingredients. Also, there is this wonderful thing called the internet. You're on it right now.. loads of food can now be delivered, right to your door.

    Secondly, get to know the basics you like- this will depend on where you're from and what's available to you. Get familiar with what you need, then make sure you don't run out of it. 

    For a bit of inspiration as to what you might need... here are my top vegan basic store cupboard foods that I ALWAYS have in,  as well as some top non-basics which I somehow find life very dull without. These are on top of any fresh or frozen food I have stashed away... Now, this might seem like a loooong list, but it's one that I've built up over the years, replacing and adding things as my cooking evolves and my tastes change. Obviously I don't buy all of these ingredients every single time I go shopping. ( I do however buy all kinds of random things that I try to use up. Who has a recipe for dried Iranian limes? I have a whole bag full!) 

    My food cupboard essentials: 

    • Chickpeas, both tinned and dried.
    • Lentils, both tinned/pre-prepared and dried
    • Tinned tomatoes 
    • Tomato paste
    • Pasta
    • Rice 
    • Stock/Boullion powder (I like Marigold or Korres the best)
    • Soy Sauce 
    • Chilli Sauce (helllloooo Cholula!)
    • Japanese Konbu stock powder (make sure you get the seaweed type, not the fishy one)
    • Panko Breadcrumbs (yes I could make my own..but seriously, a few cheats here and there won't kill me)
    • Tahini 
    • Flaky Sea Salt 
    • Black Pepper
    • Dried Herbs & Spices: Smoked Paprika, Oregano, Thyme, Chilli Powder, Cumin
    • Miso
    • White Wine & Balsamic Vinegars
    • Decent olive oil - I somewhat controversially almost always use only olive oil too cook in & not the more fashionable coconut oil. 
    • Nutritional Yeast - this is sold in health food stores and has a pleasingly cheesy flavour- a bit like super dry parmesan cheese.
    • Vegemite... Well, I am Australian after all. And it's a brilliant source of B vitamins. 

     

    Not so essential but make life less dull:

    • Tins of white beans/other beans OR dried beans (Eg black beans, kidney beans..) 
    • Fancy grains such as spelt, farro or bulghar wheat
    • Tins of Artichokes 
    • Capers
    • Dried Chillies
    • Turmeric
    • Good quality Garam Masala powder
    • Packs of long life tofu (I usually buy fresh tofu, but it's nice to know you have some on hand if you need some!)
    • Mirin (I use this all the time, but white wine is a good substitute)
    • Chinese rice wine vinegar
    • Japanese curry paste blocks 
    • Packs of pre-packaged grains (eg quinoa & rice mix- great for insta salads)
    • Dhuka (I love dipping bread in this & olive oil)
    • Other oils: Sunflower, avocado..
    • Other herbs and spices: cinnamon, cloves, coriander, fennel seeds
    • Dried mushrooms
    • Chilli pastes such as harissa
    • Mustard

    Tell me in the comments below what your cupboard essentials are- I'd love to know! 

    My Cupboard 2 this recipe

    More Recipes

    • A white bowl of Green Pea Dip with Olives and extra peas on top with little leaves of mint and a drizzle of olive oil on top.
      Green Pea Dip with Olives and Mint
    • A bowl of tofu crispy crackers with a few spilled next to the bowl.
      Tofu Crispy Crackers (Healthy High Protein Chips)
    • A plate of white bean salad with peppers and olives with some smaller plates and extra dressing in a pot in the background.
      Easy Mediterranean White Bean Salad with Olives
    • A bowl of dill pickle hummus with crackers in a bowl behind it.
      Dill Pickle Hummus - with Creamy Butterbeans.

    Reader Interactions

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi! I'm Louise-Claire! I believe vegan and plant-based food should be easy to make, never scary and above all, absolutely delicious. Also, it's for everyone, not just for vegans!

    I'm a photographer, recipe developer and gardener. You'll find me in the kitchen, in the studio or wandering the garden, picking delicious veggies to make recipes for you! So why not stay a while, check out some of my recipes and try one or two for yourself...Find out more on my About Me page.

    Vegan Air Fryer Recipes

    • Butternut squash halved on a tray stuffed with sage and chickpea stuffing.
      Chickpea and Sage Stuffed Butternut Squash; Air fryer or Oven method
    • Cauliflower and broccoli being served on a plate.
      Air Fryer Broccoli and Cauliflower
    • Crispy Air Fried Oyster Mushrooms
    • Vegan Spanakopita Triangles ready to eat.
      Vegan Cheese and Spinach Spanakopita Triangles (Air Fryer or Oven Baked)

    Tofu Lover? These are for you...

    • A little bowl of vegan bacon bits with a jar of bacon bits in the background.
      Vegan Tofu Bacon Bits-Easy DIY Recipe!
    • A casserole dish with vegan tuna noodle casserole in it ready to eat.
      Vegan Tuna Casserole (Tu-no Noodle)
    • A roasted pumpkin filled with hot cheese dip with a hand reaching in with a corn chip to scoop up some dip.
      Cheesy Pumpkin Dip: Savory & Dairy Free
    • A bowl of zucchini pasta ready to eat.
      Creamy Zucchini Pasta with Lemon Basil Sauce

    Vegan Dinner Inspo

    • A plate of spaghetti with vegan mushroom scallops on top. Next to the plate is a glass of white wine and half a lemon.
      Vegan Scallops with Garlic Pasta (King Oyster Mushroom)
    • 50 vegan asparagus recipes.
      50+ Vegan Asparagus Recipes
    • Collage of 4 recipes suited for a BBQ that are vegan.
      30+Yummy Vegan BBQ Main Recipes
    • A bowl of white bean puttanesca with a few olives on top ready to eat.
      White Bean Puttanesca - One Pot Recipe

    Craving something sweet?

    • Peach and Raspberry Cake with a slice cut on a plate ready to eat.
      Raspberry and Peach Cake- Dairy and Egg Free
    • Sticky Toffee pudding with ice cream and more sauce being poured over it.
      Vegan Sticky Toffee Pudding (Sticky Date Pudding)
    • Vegan Pineapple Upside Down cake ready to slice.
      Easy Vegan Pineapple Upside Down Cake
    • Vegan Cardamom and Spinach cake with lemon buttercream and a candle on the top.
      Vegan Cardamom & Spinach Celebration Cake
    • Rhubarb cake with a slice taken out of it.
      Easy Vegan Rhubarb Cake
    • Delicious Tofu Dessert Recipes

    Recipes you're all loving!

    • A large bowl of potato salad with peas, sugar snap peas, dill and pickles mixed through it. There is a large jar of dill pickles in the background.
      Dill Pickle Potato Salad (with no mayo!)
    • A bowl of asparagus and pea pasta salad ready to eat with some lemons in the background and a little jug of extra dressing in the foreground.
      Asparagus & Pea Spring Pasta Salad with Lemon Dressing
    • Cheesy Chickpea flour crackers in a bowl. The crackers are topped with poppy seeds.
      Crispy Chickpea Flour Crackers (with chia & flaxseed)
    • A plate of lentil salad with spiced roasted carrots ready to eat.
      Spiced Roasted Carrot and Lentil Salad

    Lovely Lentils

    • A plate of lentil salad with spiced roasted carrots ready to eat.
      Spiced Roasted Carrot and Lentil Salad
    • A bowl of lentil bolognese with spaghetti.
      Easy Vegan Lentil Bolognese Sauce
    • A bowl of lentil and tomato soup with some vegan cheese sprinkled over it, ready to serve.
      Lentil and Tomato Soup (Lentils Monastery Style)
    • A bowl of swede and carrot soup with a hand scooping up a spoon of soup.
      Classic Swede (Rutabaga) and Carrot Soup
    • Contact Me
    • About Me
    • Privacy Policy, Cookies, Ads & T&C's

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • About Me
    • My Story

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • What I Do

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2025 The Vegan Larder on the Cravings Pro Theme